This couldn't be happening, Yuuri thought, his mind going blank in shock as he stared at Phichit. This just could not be happening. The Crown Prince couldn't be outside the door, Phichit must be playing some sort of prank on him…

However, one look at his best friend's face told him that this was most certainly not a joke and this really was happening to him. This wasn't some strange dream; this was real.

"What?!" He squeaked, his body frozen to the bed as he stared at the door in horror. "What do you mean he wants to see me?!"

"That's what he said!" Phichit close to screamed, his own panic threatening to engulf him as he leant against the door. This was the last thing he had expected to happen. He had seen everything at the Winter Ball last night and thanks to his trusty camera, he had visual evidence of the love-struck way the Crown prince had looked, his eyes sparkling as he stared at his best friend. He had suspected that the prince would seek Yuuri out at some point but so soon? When the man wasn't even out of his suit from the night before? He was totally not prepared for this.

He looked over at the bed to see Yuuri's fingers were fisted into his bedsheets, his knuckles white as he gripped them like a vice and his chest heaving as he struggled to breathe. It was a clear sign he was having a panic attack and Phichit ran to his side as tears started to form in Yuuri's eyes. "OK Yuuri, let's not get worked up, breathe with me Yuuri, everything's alright, I told them not to come in here yet, breathe with me…"

He wretched one of Yuuri's hands away from the sheets to place it over his own heart, giving Yuuri a steady beat to focus on and allowing him to follow the rise and fall of his own chest. Yuuri continued to gasp for a few seconds like a fish out of water but after a minute of Phichit's soft encouragement, he was breathing normally again. "That's better, great job Yuuri." Phichit happily praised him and Yuuri managed a small smile. However, that smile promptly vanished and was replaced with a stricken look as there was another loud knock, this time on the door to their bedroom, and a voice with a Russian accent called out.

"Hello? Is everything alright in there? I thought I heard crying…"

The voice sounded concerned and for some strange reason, Yuuri found that reassuring. Surely someone wouldn't be concerned if they came to shout at someone and order them out of court? Then suddenly, the door handle started turning, making a clicking sound as the door started to open and Phichit leapt up from the bed with a cry to try and stop it.

"Your Highness, please wait, Yuuri is-"

However, it was already too late. Phichit hadn't even crossed the room before the door swung fully open, creaking as it did so as if apologising for being in the way, and Yuuri gasped as he caught sight of the Crown Prince standing in the doorway. Victor was just as mesmerising as he had always imagined him to be. He had changed a lot since the first time Yuuri had set eyes on him at sixteen; his hair was short now, with a fringe like a wave that fell over one eye and his body had filled out, making his shoulders broader and his slender legs longer and more muscular. His face was more angular too, the last of the roundness of his youth lost, and Yuuri could easily see the toned muscles that were wound under his skin like rope but his eyes were still the same. His eyes were the same beautiful blue he remembered and they still shone with a light and kindness that made Yuuri want to melt under them. For a brief second, he was reminded of the Tsarina's eyes and he wondered if many people told Victor that he had his mother's eyes. It would be a travesty if they didn't, he thought, just before he realised those eyes were locked on him. He squirmed a little under their intense gaze, before he glanced down at himself and nearly groaned in despair. He had forgotten he was still wearing his suit from last night and he now felt hideously exposed, especially as Victor looked so magnificent. He was dressed in a suit of his signature royal blue decorated with silver flowers with a long cloak that swept behind him as he walked. Yuuri wanted to cringe.

I look like such a mess, he thought. What must he be thinking?

What he didn't realise however, was that Victor was enormously struggling to keep his composure. Yuuri looked so beautiful and so ravished as he lay sprawled out on his bed like he was waiting to be taken, that it was taking all of Victor's effort not to pounce on the bed and kiss him senseless. God, he looks so perfect, he thought, his eyes roaming over Yuuri's body, unable to look away. Every part of him looked deliciously ruffled; his black hair was all fluffed up, making it look like soft feathers and Victor instantly wanted to run his hands through it just to see if it was as silky as it looked. His cheeks were a flushed pink and were growing darker by the second and his mouth had fallen open just enough to show off his perfect pink lips. His suit looked like it was only just hanging onto him, the jacket falling from his shoulders and his shirt buttons in all the wrong holes. Because of this, the collar was so wonky, it left almost his entire collarbone on show and there was nothing Victor wanted more than to latch his mouth onto that patch of skin and suck hard enough to mark it. However, it was the sight of Yuuri's eyes that kept him frozen to the spot. They were the same vivid dark brown he remembered from the night before, the memory of how they looked at him still dancing through his mind, but now instead of being filled with a dark lust, they were so wide and so sweetly innocent-looking that he felt like he had forgotten to breathe. He was so caught up in them that was only a sharp jab and a cough from Chris, who was standing behind him, that snapped him out of his trance and forced him to look away. He suddenly realised he had just been standing there staring like somebody unbelievably creepy and he instantly dropped into a low bow.

"My deepest apologises for barging in unannounced," he said, straightening up and taking a step towards the bed, his eyes once again on Yuuri. "It is deeply unbecoming of me but I just could not stand to wait for the pleasure of your presence." His tone was undeniably flirtatious and as he bowed his head a little, he could sense Chris shooting him a smile and wink. This was going perfectly, just like they had rehearsed on the way here.

Meanwhile, Yuuri was still trying to process his shock. He was still struggling to believe the Crown Prince, the man who had been the object of his unlimited adoration for years, was standing in his room, lingering at the foot of his bed and staring at him like he was the Sun and the stars combined. How am I supposed to react to this? He thought, almost in a blind panic, until he heard his words and he recognised the formal language of the court. This was something Yuuri had studied and understood- in the Russian court, everything was polite and formal and he had found it refreshing as much of it was similar to the manners of the Japanese court. It was all too easy to slip on a mask when you used the flowery language and he found himself drawing more confidence as he stood up and gave a short bow. In the world of social etiquette, he was far more comfortable and this way, he could focus more on not making a mistake and less on the fact that the Crown prince was in his bedroom.

"The pleasure is all mine Your Highness," he answered, his voice soft and level as he looked up at Victor through his eyelashes. "And I too must apologise for my… state of dress. If we had known you were coming, we could have shown you some far better hospitality."

"It is of no matter," Victor replied, his face steadily growing red as he looked down at Yuuri. Chris had been right about Yuuri's gift with words; he had recovered from his obvious shock with a surprising ease and his gentle words sounded nothing less than sincere. What Chris hadn't prepared him for was how beautiful Yuuri's voice was. He spoke Russian like it was his native tongue, with only the hint of a Japanese accent to betray that it wasn't and in Victor's opinion, that touch of another language made it all the more heavenly. His voice was soft and kind but it still carried a weight that made you sit up and listen to him and the way his lips curled arounds his words sounded like music. Yuuri could have read out any of the stuffy documents his father's officials made him read and Victor knew he would have listened to every word enthralled. "I must confess to having been welcomed in even less habitable circumstances and I have made the best of it."

That made Yuuri laugh, his giggling enough to make Victor nearly swoon and Chris give a sly smile in Phichit's direction. The Thai man's panic had instantly eased when Yuuri had started speaking and hearing his laughter made the last of his tension leave his body in a relieved sigh. He had worried that his friend might go into another panic attack when Victor first started talking to him but when it became obvious that Victor was smitten and Yuuri was steadily becoming more comfortable, his worries had evaporated and he could relax. He caught Chris's smile out of the corner of his eye and he winked back, enjoying how the Swiss man's eyebrows shot up. If he's just as in favour of this as I am, Phichit thought, us two are going to get on very well.

"I'm sure you have." Yuuri answered Victor, still trying hard to smoother the last of his giggles. Victor looked so much like the pampered elegant prince, especially in his long blue robes that matched his eyes perfectly, that it was funny trying to imagine him anywhere else, let alone in circumstances worse than this. He was giggling so much that his throat felt dry and he reached for the cup of slightly cooled tea that Phichit had poured for him earlier. Victor's eyes followed the movement and they widened a little when he caught sight of the tea tray.

"Were we interrupting your breakfast? I'm terribly sorry, we didn't mean to."

"Oh no, it's fine." Yuuri was hasty to reassure him after he had taken a few large gulps of the tea. "This is a herbal tea to soothe headaches, my friend and I were attempting to recover from the ball last night."

He suddenly flushed red as Phichit's words about what he had done at the ball returned to him and he had to tightly grip the cup to make sure he didn't drop it. Of course, that was why Victor was here; he probably wanted answers for his behaviour. Was he mad? Victor didn't seem to be angry but he could just be waiting for Yuuri's guard to lower before he laid into him. Was he going to be thrown out of court after all? Before he could reach that level of panic again, he heard Victor's voice calling his name.

"Yuuri? Yuuri, are you alright?"

His voice was once again so concerned that it almost brought tears to Yuuri's eyes. Before the prince could say anything else, Yuuri had dropped himself into a low bow, nearly spilling tea over himself in his haste. He had bent himself so low that his hair was almost tickling the ground and he spread his hands out in front of him like he was at an altar worshipping a god.

"Your Highness, I must deeply apologise for my actions last night." He garbled out quickly before anyone else could speak. "I was very drunk and I lost control of myself. I do not remember anything that happened but from what I have been told, I was very forthright with you and I made a fool of myself and that should not have happened. I am very sorry for this and I humbly beg your forgiveness as your loyal subject."

For a moment, there was silence, the painful quiet ripping through Yuuri like a knife and making him bite at his lip. Was the Prince that disgusted with him, he couldn't speak? Then suddenly, he felt a hand on his shoulder bidding him to rise and when he did so, he was confronted by Victor's wide and shocked looking eyes.

"You don't remember it?" He asked. "None of it at all?"

As Yuuri sorrowfully shook his head, Victor could feel his heart cracking. Was he serious? Did he really remember nothing? He knew from one look at Yuuri's honest and sad eyes that he was telling the truth and he felt like he had been slapped. Yuuri could really remember nothing of their dancing, nothing of the way he had held Victor like he was the most precious thing he knew, nothing of the way their eyes had met and it had felt like he had come to life… none of it. He was the only one who remembered and that thought was heart-shattering. However, when he looked at Yuuri he found he couldn't be angry at him. The man looked so regretful and so upset when he looked up at him that he couldn't help but want to hold him until all his sadness went away. It wasn't Yuuri's fault that his drunkenness had resulted in a blackout- Victor could remember several times when he had done the same thing with Chris in Paris, both of them waking up in foreign rooms with strange people and not having a clue how they got there. And maybe… maybe it was for the best, he thought. Yuuri was still here, right in front of him and Victor knew he still had that side in him. Maybe I've just been given a chance to get to know him on a proper level, he thought and that was enough for his smile to return, even bigger and brighter than ever.

"Yuuri, I'm not here to ask for your forgiveness. There is nothing for me to forgive," he said, taking one of Yuuri's hands in his own and enjoying how he looked up at him in shock, his face once again going bright red like crimson roses were growing in his cheeks. "I'm here because I wanted to see if you were alright. You danced so exquisitely at the ball last night but you disappeared before I could compliment you properly."

"R-really?" Yuuri stammered out, feeling like his face was aflame. He couldn't quite take it in that Victor not only wasn't mad at him but he also wanted to compliment his dancing. He almost felt like pinching himself to make sure this wasn't a dream. "Thank you, your Highness, that is very great praise coming from you."

"I must also confess to having a far more selfish reason for coming." Victor admitted, his thumb reverently running over the soft skin of Yuuri's hand. "I wanted to ask you to accompany me for a walk in the Palace gardens. It may be winter but they are still beautiful at this time of year."

His gaze held Yuuri's like a physical force and Yuuri didn't think he could have pulled back even if he wanted to. His knees felt like buckling as Victor's hand continued to caress his own and when Victor told him of his true intentions, he wanted to collapse. He had never believed outside of his fantasies that Victor would wish to spend time with him and yet here he was, asking him for his company with his eyes pleading like a puppy's would. That nearly made him laugh again and that relieved his nerves enough for him to answer.

"I would be honoured to join you, your Highness."

"Excellent!" Victor beamed at him, his smile so bright and happy Yuuri swore it could have restarted the Sun. However, before he could say anything else, Phichit had smoothly stepped between them, forcing Victor to take a step back and let go of Yuuri's hand. He looked up crestfallen but he was stopped from reacting by Chris's firm hand on his upper arm and the steel in Phichit's eyes as he looked at him.

"Your Highness, whilst my friend is delighted by your kind invitation, I must insist that you must wait a short while," Phichit said. His voice was polite but there was an iron will behind it that stoppered Victor's throat and halted any thoughts of interrupting him. "Yuuri still needs some time to recover from last night; he is suffering from a hangover and as you can see, he is not properly dressed to receive or go out into the court. I must request that you leave us some time for me to make him presentable."

Victor was about to reply that Yuuri's hangover seemed better now and that he would look presentable to him no matter what he wore but Chris cut over him before he could even open his mouth. "Of course, we will give you some time, take as long as you need," he replied smoothly, giving Phichit a nod and a quick wink as he started to pull Victor from the room. "We will be outside if you need us."

"Thank you, Lord Giacometti." Phichit smiled back at him as Chris eventually pushed a reluctant Victor away from Yuuri, who gave a tiny wave as the Russian Prince was finally forced out of the door. He looked longingly at Yuuri right up until the last second, raising his own hand in an absent-minded wave and Chris's knowing look showed Phichit that he had seen it all too. It's good to know I have an ally in all of this, Phichit thought with a wide smile as he turned back to Yuuri, who was staring at the door like it had suddenly formed a mouth and learnt how to sing.

"Phichit, wha-"

"Drink up your tea Yuuri!" Phichit insisted as he pushed a very pliant Yuuri down onto the bed, quickly filling up his cup with more tea before he rushed over to their small shared wardrobe. "We need to get you looking perfect for this! Somebody get me my eyeliner and my hairbrush! When I'm finished with you, Victor Nikiforov won't know what hit him!"

OOO

Whenever Victor wanted to have a walk in the gardens, particularly if he had an esteemed guest with him, he always had to have a chaperone. This was Russian tradition, designed to make sure that nothing improper could happen to the Crown Prince and to stop rumours from flying around the court about his purity. Victor had once tried to get out of this tradition but he had been shouted down by his father, asking him if he wanted the entire court to question his honour. Victor had wanted to remark that his honour had gone a long time ago, destroyed somewhere in a hotel in Paris, but he had quickly bitten back his tongue and meekly agreed. That was why Victor always had Chris with him as his chaperone but there was another reason why he always insisted on taking his best friend with him on these kinds of walks; Chris was a terrible chaperone.

Chris held almost every quality that made him unsuitable for the job of guarding Victor's modesty. Aside from the fact that he had helped Victor to lose it in the first place, he was easily distracted, terribly flirtatious with all those he met on his walks with Victor and both of these things meant he tended to lag behind whenever they went walking through the gardens as he stopped to talk with somebody he met. This happened almost every time they stumbled across somebody and since Chris knew everybody at the Russian court, he was often only just in view of the man he was meant to be chaperoning.

"You Highness, should we stop and wait for Lord Giacometti?" Yuuri asked nervously, looking back over his shoulder at where Chris was loitering a good twenty metres behind them. He was talking to a man Yuuri had only glimpsed around the court who had red hair and was dressed in what looked to be a British suit. He was smiling kindly at Chris as the pair of them talked and Chris was giving him a flirtatious gaze that was so obvious even Yuuri could see it. "It appears he is distracted."

"Oh, do not worry about him." Victor said, offering up silent thanks to his old friend as he discreetly ushered them both around a corner of the maze. He knew Chris would catch up in his own time but he wouldn't get close enough to hear any of their conversation; that was what they had agreed as they had stood outside Yuuri and Phichit's room as they waited for him to emerge. It was during that time when Victor had made plans to take Yuuri to the maze in the court gardens. Both he had Chris had agreed it was the perfect choice; it was large, full of pretty flowers for them to admire and best of all, private. It would be all too easy for them both to slip away if things took a pleasant turn (Chris had said that whilst wriggling his eyebrows and lowering his voice and Victor couldn't help but feel hot at the idea) and it would also be easy enough for Chris to 'accidentally' loose them and give them time to talk. It was the perfect place for Victor to unleash all his charms and woo Yuuri.

After they had made their plans however, they had entered into a waiting game. It had been at least an hour and a half before Phichit had finally relinquished Yuuri into Victor's charge and the Russian prince had been close to climbing the walls with impatience by the end of it but now the finished result was walking by his side, he had to agree that it had been well worth the wait.

Yuuri looked completely different from the ravished man Victor had discovered sprawled on his bed with his modesty just intact- now Yuuri looked the picture of quiet dignity, carrying himself with an elegance that only teasingly hinted at his dancing ability. His hair had been brushed back, away from his face in a sleek style with only a few temperamental strands falling in front of his eyes that bobbed before his glasses when he moved. His eyes, still just as sweet as before, were framed with blue glasses and Victor noticed there was a small flick of eyeliner on each eye. That's probably Phichit's doing, he had thought, along with the tiny bit of powder Yuuri had on his cheeks to make his blushing less violent and the gloss on his lips that really made their pink stand out against the rest of his skin. Yuuri hadn't been too sure about the make-up at first, thinking it would look like too much but Phichit had applied it so expertly that it was only noticeable close up and it enhanced Yuuri's features so well that Victor had been floored when he had first seen it. For a long moment, he had been only able to stand and stare at him whilst Phichit gave a wide smile like he was asking Victor if he approved. Victor had only just managed to give a nod in his direction; oh yes, he very much approved indeed.

Yuuri's clothes were also a world away from what he had been wearing that morning. Instead of his more European suit, Yuuri was now wearing an oriental-styled robe, which Victor had since learned was called a kimono. The garment was made of silk and was a rich blue that almost mirrored Victor's own robes- the thought that the two of them matched made Victor preen with pride and he couldn't help linking their arms, just to compare the slightly different shades against each other. The kimono was loose and the lower half flowed like water when Yuuri took a step. The thin sash around Yuuri's waist highlighted how slim he was and when Victor looked closer at it, he could see it was embroidered with a pattern of leaves and flowers, not dissimilar to the one on his robes which also made him smile. He had to admit, Phichit had done a remarkable job and now Victor couldn't tear his eyes away.

"So Yuuri," He said, smiling as Yuuri stopped looking back for Chris and turned his head to face him instead. "How long have you been in Russia?"

"Three months." Yuuri answered, playing a little with the material of his long hanging sleeves. "I came over to help the Japanese ambassador since I can speak Russian OK. Nobody else back home can speak it that well and that's why I was chosen."

"I think your Russian is beautiful," Victor said, smiling as Yuuri's cheeks got a little pinker. "You speak it better than most of the officials I know and some of those are Russian!"

Yuuri laughed, his other hand going up to cover his mouth. "You shouldn't say that about your own dignitaries."

"Why not? It's the truth." Victor grinned. "And besides, you have more talent in your little finger than all of them combined. I've seen it."

Yuuri went red again, casting his eyes to the floor even as he gave a small pleased smile. "I think you overestimate my skills, Your Highness," He said. "I'm just a dime a dozen envoy here. I am also sure that dancing, though I do love it, is not a necessary skill for a diplomat."

"It should be. It might make them all more interesting." Both of them chuckled at the image of many of the envoys at court dancing; as many of them were old men, the sight was sure to be a spectacle. "Where did you learn to dance like that Yuuri? I've never seen anyone move like you do."

"I used to take ballet classes back in Japan." Yuuri said, once again averting his gaze to stare at the grass at the feet. "My family's close friend Minako used to be a prima ballerina and she retired to my home town. When I was little, I asked her to teach me and I continued ballet training all through my teens. It was a good distraction from my studies and I loved it." A wide smile came over his face at the memories it stirred up and Victor beamed himself when he caught sight of it. "I only stopped lessons when I had to come here but I still do my stretches and practise when I can. Minako would never forgive me if I let myself go."

Victor nodded approvingly as he swept another gaze over Yuuri's body. It was so obviously the body of a dancer, he could see it in every one of Yuuri's movements and gestures. He carried such a grace in everything he did, it was like music come to life and he could have watched him all day.

"My brother trains in ballet too. He's done it for the last few years- he started because he saw Lilia training Mila in it and he couldn't have her beating him in anything. Now Lilia calls him the best prima she ever taught."

"Mila?" Yuuri asked.

"She's a friend of mine and Yuri's," Victor explained. "Her parents are from a distant branch of the royal family so she's something like our second cousin thrice removed or something along those lines. Her father served with mine in the military and when he died, Mila was put under my father's patronage. She grew up in the Palace with us as she took most of Yuri's lessons. He pretends to hate her and they spat all the time but they're actually really close. You'd know if you met her, she's got bright red hair and a fiery personality to match."

"I think I might have seen her around." Yuuri pondered. A memory suddenly came to him of a redheaded woman tearing through the corridors of the Palace; she had nearly knocked him flying one morning as he made his way to a meeting and he couldn't think of anyone else that could have been. "Does she still do ballet?"

"No, she quit after Yuri got better than her." Victor grinned. "She took up sword fighting instead and now she could best any man in our army."

Yuuri laughed again and Victor suddenly wished there was a way he could capture that sound in a bottle so he could listen to it whenever he wanted. "She sounds lovely." Yuuri said, smiling up at him before he asked "Did you ever take ballet lessons?"

"I did for a short while when I was young," Victor told him. "Lilia was determined to get a danseur out of me but I was never quite up to her high standards- it just makes Yuri all the more impressive." He chuckled lightly. "I was always better at figure skating. When I was younger, I never wanted to get off the ice. Yakov had to drag me off on more than a few occasions."

"I know." Yuuri said before he made a strangled gasping sound. "I mean I've seen pictures. I heard you liked ice skating from the news sheets back home. I didn't mean for that to sound so creepy Your Highness…"

"It didn't sound creepy at all Yuuri." Victor assured him, lightly tugging on his arm that was linked with Yuuri's so he could pull the man closer. Their bodies looked joined at the hip as they walked, their steps in perfect unison, and Victor couldn't have been happier with it. "Was there much about me in the news sheets?"

"Not that much," Yuuri admitted, his scarlet blush reaching the shell of his ear and dipping below the V-neck of his kimono. "When I was twelve, your family made a visit to Japan and I was at court at the time. I admired you very much and afterwards I used to look out for any news of you. I even tried ice skating because I knew you loved it."

"You did?!" Victor cried out in pure delight and, if they hadn't passed a group of ladies out for their morning stroll, he would have tackled Yuuri in a hug. Instead, he had to make do with squeezing his arm tightly and beaming. "Yuuri, I'm so flattered! Were you any good?"

"I was OK." Yuuri said bashfully. "I got to the point where I could try a few things but then winter ended and there was no more ice. Japan has a very different climate to Russia so I couldn't practise as much as I wanted. I'm terribly rusty now, I haven't tried for years."

"I could take you!" Victor said excitedly.

"You would?" Yuuri blinked up at him as Victor nodded enthusiastically, his head bobbing so much, it looked like it would fall off.

"I would be honoured Yuuri!" He said, his heart thudding. He couldn't imagine anything more romantic than taking Yuuri ice skating; he could show him the frozen lake that had been his favourite place since he was a boy, he could show him all the jumps and spins he had perfected and wow him with his skills, he could hold onto him as he led him around the ice… He imagined Yuuri stumbling on the ice like a baby deer learning to walk for the first time, his arms clinging to Victor as he tried to stay upright, and the thought was so cute he was tempted to drag Yuuri away and do it that second. However, he held himself back; Yuuri was still very shy and Chris had warned him about being too full on. He would save that for another time when Yuuri was a little more relaxed around him. He could still feel a slight tension in the line of Yuuri's arm that suggested he was nervous and all Victor wanted was to ease that away.

Yuuri gave a smile at Victor's exuberance. It still felt a little like he was dreaming, like any second he would wake up back in his room and Victor would dissipate like smoke. The part of him that had obsessed over Victor since he was twelve was screaming inside him at the idea of going ice skating with him; that had been something he had never imagined happening even in his wildest fantasies and now Victor was offering to take him like there was nothing in the world he wanted more.

"That sounds like fun." He said, watching as Victor's face lit up. He tentatively smiled back before his anxiety got the better of him and he dropped his eyes again before he turned his head back to look behind him. "Your Highness, I fear we have lost Lord Giacometti. Should we go look for him or…"

"I wouldn't worry about Lord Giacometti." Victor said, lightly patting Yuuri's hand as they continued to walk. He had no idea where Chris had wandered off to but he couldn't say he was complaining; this just gave him even more time alone with Yuuri. "He can't be too far away."

"I'm not entirely sure he is taking his chaperoning duties seriously." Yuuri said teasingly and when Victor looked down at him in surprise, there was a tiny smirk on his face. Victor almost felt like fanning himself; this was a glimpse of the Yuuri he had seen last night, the Yuuri that was sassy and took no prisoners, and he liked it a lot. "People will talk if we're not careful."

"People are always going to talk." Victor said. It was a truth he knew all too well; in a world where everything he did was analysed and judged by an eagle-eyed court, he had learned both how to be discreet and how to have a thick skin. He wasn't worried about the gossips anymore, he had been a subject of their scrutiny for far too long to care, but he knew that wasn't the same for Yuuri. He had expected the Japanese man to be nervous at the thought of the whole court talking about him and pairing him with the Crown Prince but instead, he looked almost pleased about it. He was the one who linked their arms even tighter, pulling Victor's body to his with a possessive air and Victor's chest had wanted to burst with pride. "The only person I want to hear is you Yuuri. Is there anything you want to know about me? Something that wasn't in your news sheets?"

He watched as Yuuri flushed again, his teeth tugging at his bottom lip before something sparked in his eyes and he turned to Victor with a question.

"Do you remember visiting Japan?"

Victor gave him a warm look. "I do remember it. I was sixteen if I remember rightly, it was my first diplomatic visit abroad. I was so excited for it I couldn't contain myself; my mother kept scolding me on the boat on the way over because I was running around so much, she feared I would get seasick. Yurio cried the whole way over; he didn't like the boat and somebody made the mistake of telling him there were tigers in Japan. He was so distraught when he found out there were none that he sulked for the rest of the trip. The country was so beautiful, there were so many gardens and they were full of trees and everything just seemed so peaceful." He smiled again but this time Yuuri could see there was sadness in his eyes. "My mother adored those gardens. When my father and I had to attend meetings, she took Yuri out to play in them; she said they were so tranquil, she sometimes thought she would fall asleep as she sat enjoying them. She loved the plants there, I think she wanted to take some back with her but she was told they wouldn't do well in our climate. That was her last trip abroad, she got too sick to come with us after that."

He cast his eyes downwards and Yuuri squeezed his hand sympathetically. "I'm sorry Your Highness, I shouldn't have brought that up…"

"It's OK." Victor squeezed his hand in return and his eyes met Yuuri's again. They were shimmering a little more than usual, the bitter sweetness of that long-ago trip taking him by surprise. He hadn't thought about it for so long but the memories were far from unwelcome; it was nice to think of his mother the way she had been before her illness had taken her away and left her little more than a wisp of what she had once been. "Did you see her too when you were younger?"

"I saw all of your family when you first arrived at the court Your Highness," Yuuri told him. "I remember your mother was holding Prince Yuri in her arms, he did look like he was sulking. Your mother looked beautiful, I remember thinking she looked almost like a goddess when I first saw her because she looked so ethereal. She also had the kindest eyes, they looked like they were always smiling." He paused for a short while before he added. "You have the same eyes as her."

"You think so?" Victor halted on the thin pathway as he turned his whole body to face Yuuri. He had been told quite a few times, mainly by Yakov and other older servants, that he shared his mother's eyes but most of them he knew were just commenting on the colour. Yuuri however, seemed to mean something different and more sincere and that was only confirmed when Yuuri did speak.

"Yes. You have the same kindness in your eyes. That's what makes them look so much like hers; they have the same light behind them."

Both of them had stopped on the pathway, the hedges either side of them suddenly seeming bigger, like they were enclosing the two of them in their own private world. The two of them were facing each other, Yuuri's nervous brown eyes staring up into Victor's steady ones. Yuuri was hit with a rush of panic; had he said the wrong thing? Should he have just kept quiet about Victor's mother? I should have known that would hit a raw nerve, he thought as he felt his arms begin to tremble. Victor's arm began to untangle itself from Yuuri's and he began to fear the worst.

This is it, he thought. I'm really getting thrown out this time.

However, instead of letting go of him completely, Victor's hands started to trail down his arms, stopping his trembling in its tracks. His fingers wove paths down the silk of his kimono, the pads dragging like they couldn't bear to be separated from the fabric for even a second. The sight of their slow journey was almost erotic and when they fully touched the skin of his hands, he felt like a hot coil was burning in his stomach. Victor took both of his hands, clasping them tightly as he looked into Yuuri's eyes and Yuuri almost believed he could see diamond tears in his glowing eyes.

"Thank you Yuuri," He said, bowing his head and placing a gentle, almost worshipping kiss on his knuckles that made his breath hitch. "You don't know how much that means to me."

"Y-your welcome, Y-y-your Highness." Yuuri said in a voice barely above a whisper. He could feel his face scorching under Victor's close gaze but at the same time, he couldn't look away. He felt like he was being burned by their blue fire but at the same time, he wanted to be devoured by them. He couldn't drag his eyes away, not even when Victor raised one hand and brushed his thumb against his cheekbone. He shivered as Victor softly ran his thumb over his cheekbone and down to the swell of his bottom lip and Victor seemed to feel it as he gave a light gasp that sounded almost like a moan. Their eyes still refused to leave each other; the world could have been burning around them and they would have been too wrapped up in each other to notice. Victor then opened his mouth to speak and Yuuri sucked in a breath waiting.

"Yuuri, I…"

"There you two are!"

Victor and Yuuri sprang apart, whipping their heads in the direction of the voice as their moment was completely shattered. Yuuri felt his face flare up again as Christophe jauntily approached them, his jacket askew and a couple of twigs perched in his hair. It was obvious what he had been up to in the hedges and Yuuri wanted to curl up in embarrassment. Did the man have no shame at all?

Victor meanwhile, was glaring at his friend furiously. Chris had come along at just the wrong time; just when he and Yuuri were having a romantic moment, he had to come strolling in. He could see now that Yuuri was paralyzed with embarrassment and he could have strangled Chris where he stood. However, the Swiss man, not seeming to understand why his friend looked so mad at him, just gave him a wide grin.

"Gentlemen! I've been looking for you everywhere! I really am terrible, I have no sense of direction at all."

"Indeed." Victor said in a clipped tone and Chris had the decency to look guilty before he gave his next message.

"Anyway, I'm so sorry to interrupt but I come bringing an urgent message from Yakov. He says he needs you to come right now Vitya. You were meant to be with him this morning overseeing the documentation of the new trade agreements and he's been looking for you all morning. I'm sorry to break this up but Yakov did insist and he was pretty scary about it."

"I bet he was." Victor nodded. He understood better than anyone what it was like to be on the receiving end of Yakov's rage; he had been there more times than he cared to count. He turned back to Yuuri with a sigh. "I'm terribly sorry Yuuri but I have to go- it's the last thing I want to do but this is important. I hope you understand."

"I do." Yuuri nodded, disappointment clouding his eyes and making Victor's heart ache. "I'm sorry this had to end, I very much enjoyed your company Your Highness. Maybe we can do this again another time?"

Yuuri thought he might have stretched his boundaries, asking for more time with the Crown Prince, but Victor's face lit up in joy as he grasped his hands again. "I would love to Yuuri," he said. "How about you dine with me, tomorrow night? We can dine in my apartments so it will be private and I can say it's diplomatic business so we won't be interrupted."

He shot a short glare over at Chris on the last word but he didn't miss the warm grin that spread across Yuuri's face. "I would love to Your Highness." He said, squeezing Victor's hand back and making him smile even wider. "It would be my greatest pleasure."

"Then it is settled." Victor said gleefully. "On one condition."

"Which is?" Yuuri asked, nerves settling in the pit of his belly. What would he be expected to do? His lessons had never prepared him for dining with a prince, especially one who was so enrapturing.

"You can't call me Your Highness." Victor told him. "You have to call me by my name the whole evening."

"And if I don't?" Yuuri asked with a hint of challenge in his voice, making Chris raise his eyebrow a little and Victor give an almost evil grin.

"If you don't, then you have to do exactly as I say."

"Don't I already do that as your loyal subject?" Yuuri asked with laughter in his voice before he gave a bow. "Very well- I will see you tomorrow evening, Victor." And with that, he turned around and began to walk away, leaving a giggling lord and a stunned prince in his wake.

"Chris," Victor said weakly as he watched Yuuri go. "What have I done?"

"You've just awakened a servant of Eros my friend," Chris answered with a low whistle. "And you better be prepared to take responsibility for your actions."

Sassy Yuuri is my favourite Yuuri.

Interesting fact- I recently learned that in Russia, the wife of the Tsar was only referred to as the Tsarina before 1721; after that they were known as Empress. Neat huh? I'm not sure quite when this story is going to be set, I'm just adding in little historical facts I find cool.

Thank you to everyone for your comments, they did really encourage me to get this out quickly. More will definitely do the same!